Santa Barbara County leaders look forward to projected Biden presidency
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - In Santa Barbara County, Joe Biden claimed victory by a landslide margin over Donald Trump, receiving over 100,000 votes.
However, many locals were left anxiously waiting for election results until today.
Finally, after four days filled with uncertainty, Joe Biden has been projected as the winner of the 2020 election.
“I was overcome with a great sense of relief, a little bit of disbelief and then just joy,” said Gail Teton-Landis, Chair of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party.
Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo expressed similar sentiments, “For our residents here in the City of Santa Barbara, we’re going to have a president who said he’s going to be the president for everybody, not just the people who voted for him.”
In Santa Barbara County, a record-high voting turnout gave Biden 67% of votes compared to Donald Trump’s 31%.
“In my neighborhood in the Westside, I could hear people shouting and responding as soon as the news came through,” Mayor Murillo said.
“It will be good for our entire country to have a calm, decent, experienced man, and woman in Kamala Harris, leading us through this difficult time,” Teton-Landis said.
The California senator will become the first female vice president in our nation’s history, which has made many local women excited.
“For all young girls to have someone like her to look up to and to know that they can reach that potential is just remarkable,” said Janet Wolf, former Santa Barbara County supervisor.
“This is great for women, this is great for girls, teens, young women and older women like myself,” said Mayor Murillo.
However, President Trump has indicated he will not accept these election results, alleging widespread voter fraud was used this year.
Local republicans remain by his side.
“I think that it’s premature, our current president has not conceded yet, until he does we are with him 100%,” said Santa Barbara County GOP Chair Bobbi McGinnis.
But most Democrats expressed hope that the divided nation can unite and heal.
“We can now feel assured that the vote count was done well, and now it’s time to move forward,” said former supervisor Wolf.
The Santa Barbara County Elections Office is expecting to cast well over 200,000 ballots, with updated results coming on Monday.
